The citizens of Brundidge and the patrons of the Tupper Lightfoot Memorial Library are getting a good deal and a good deal more in the addition to the historic structure.

The city has received $126,000 in USDA Rural Development funding to furnish the 3,200 square-foot addition to the public library and is putting the library’s wants into a bid package format, said Britt Thomas, city manager.

“We are including drawings in the bid package for the installation of the shelving and other items that have to be assembled,” Thomas said. “We want the bid to be such that, when whoever is successful in the bidding process finishes, everything will be permanently in place.”

Items on the bid list include shelves, tables, chairs, computers, television, audio-visual equipment and other electronic devices and fixtures.

The total cost of the addition to the library is $256,000 and was financed with a $150,000 state bond issue for education and public libraries and a $40,000 grant from the Alabama Public Library service. The city’s $70,000 investment is a general fund expenditure.

“When the project is completed, the city will have roughly a $400,000 addition and library improvement at a cost of only $70,000 to the city,” Thomas said. “That’s a good deal for our citizens and our community.”

Both the original library building and the addition will be part of the Tupper Lightfoot Memorial Library complex. The library is named in memory of Tupper Lightfoot whose family originally owned the building. Lightfoot’s home was a library long before it housed the city’s public library. He was a strong supporter of education and had an extensive personal library that was available to anyone. Lightfoot assisted a large number of young people with their education and made college an option for many.